I am often asked how I came to ATD and better yet how I became a board member. A few years ago my organization asked me to start an official training department. While I was comfortable facilitating training using computer labs, creating Storyline trainings and writing standard operating procedures, I was sure there were more out there that I did not even know of.

As all people do when they think there is more out there, I went a googling! I came across ATD Puget Sound (at that time it was ASTD) and joined immediately. Then in my true fashion, I never went to a chapter meeting. I am the strange type of person that needs a task or a commitment in order to show up. Needing to get involved in the chapter, I sent an email to the, then President, Karen Thornton asking her if I could be on the conference committee. After meeting with her, she then asked me to be the co-chair of the conference. From that moment on, I was engaged! After the conference, Karen asked me to join the board as the Director of Communications. The year I stepped in to the Director of Communications we went an entire branding campaign; changing our chapter’s name, colors, domain name, emails, tax filings and the list goes on! I was able to stretch my creativity arms and loved it. Wanting to continue with the chapter, I applied for the President-Elect position and this year am serving in the President role. Even now, as I sit here with a ton of emails to reply to and a laundry list of goals and objectives we as a board want to accomplish this year, I am wondering what role I can serve in next.

Our board members serve our members in a number of different ways from behind the scenes work to emceeing an event. What I have found at ATD Puget Sound is that there is a place for everyone. For those that want to be a guiding force in the chapter by serving as a Director on the board to those able to draft newsletters a couple of hours a month. While the directors try hard to invite people to join, we also need help from you by simply asking how you can get engaged.

Volunteering:Deliberately Developing Yourself Being a Talent Development professional is one of the most exciting careers. The potential for to make a difference on your team, your organization, or your community—is huge. No matter where you are in your career, the investing in your learning and growth enables you to influence others to do the same.

One of the best opportunities to develop your skills and build your network is to volunteer for a role in yourlocal ATD chapter. Volunteering for ATD Puget Sound provides an opportunity to learn and gain feedback from peers and leaders while providing great learning and networking opportunities for a passionate network of professionals in the Puget Sound.

I’ve been thinking a lot about finding people who want toinvest their time and talent onthe ATD Board,and I wanted to tapthe wisdom of our broader network.To help, I reached out to current and pastBoard leaders and volunteersto learn about what they gained from their experience, andwhat advice they would offer those who are interested in volunteering on the board. Here’s some of the great things I learned from them.

Leadership

The whole package: “What you learn from leading volunteers is very transferable to other leadership roles. It is all about influence, empathy, clear expectations, encouragement, follow-up, support – great skills for leadership.”

Business Acumen: “Using and making sense of data to make business decisions”

Influence. I had the opportunity to look beyond the confines of the membership to build skills to explain our profession's role in society, build its brand among public officials and top executives.

Community& Collaboration

“Building acommunity is hugely important to us as members, but also the organizations we work at. In that sense, I only want to work for people and organizations that support that local involvement.”

“Thefriendships that I made as part of the board are priceless and I have benefitted from them both professionally and personally.”

Professional impact

“Being on the board gave me thecredibilityI needed to apply for and land my first L&D job.”

“I was able to take ideas from our board and leverage them in my own workplace.”

“I was able to network and make connections that helped me leverage my strengths and think outside the box, which ultimately landed me in a new position.”

Are you ready to volunteer?

Think, research, and take the plunge. “Find a volunteer position that will fit with your passions, your schedule, and your goals. Meet with a board member and ask questions. Once you determine which role would fit you best...take that leap of faith! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!”

Evaluate your time. “Consider it a job (be accountable, follow through on your commitments) and you'll get all of the benefits that come with learning on the job and making a good impression with others in the industry.” “Create a support system so that you can make it a priority to serve and be able to commit the time it will take to do a good job.”

Take the plunge and apply. “Just do it. You never know what's around the next corner and how your skills and experiences with other people will impact you in the future.”

Would you like to learn more? Please join us at the“Leaders in Talent Development” Event on August 23rdat 10 Degrees. This is a great time to talk to meet board members, speak to others in the profession, discuss trends, and learn from the leaders on our panel.

Thank you to all of youwhotook time to respondto the survey. Your insights have been incredibly valuable.

With successful June events behind us, July and August have meant focusing on the October Workplace Learning Conference for the ATDps Special Events team.

The conference theme is Our Legacy as Learning Professionals. Our intention is to create a space for all of us to honor what we've historically done well in L&D while exploring ways to move further into the future of learning, all with eye toward our own legacies and role as change agents in the work we do. In addition, the event brings together leading experts in the field of learning and development to share what’s new, provide practical workshops, and offer a variety of active learning opportunities.

We are excited to bring you three leaders in modern learning and talent development as your conference keynotes:

Kelly Palmer, Chief Learning Officer at Degreed and former VP of Learning at LinkedIn. She has also held executive positions at Sun Microsystems and Yahoo!.

Keith McCandless, Co-developer of Liberating Structures and co-author of The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures book.

Anakha Coman, founder of The Awake at Work Institute, bringing mindfulness programs to the workplace with clients including Intel, Eli Lilly, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Nike, Microsoft, The Met Group, and more.

We look forward to seeing you at the Mercer Island Community Center on October 12th and 13th. This is a great chance for you to network, learn, and develop new skills. The conference is designed to offer you opportunities to engage and connect with local Puget Sound talent development professionals. The agenda for each day will offer you the following:

Day1: The conference opens with a full day of breakout sessions on Day 1.In addition to our great keynote speakers, we've lined up an equally exciting roster of 20+ session facilitators and topics. Please visit the program page for a list of the 20, Day 1, Session Facilitators.

Day 2: Using Open Space, the participants themselves create the programming for Day 2 in real-time. Come prepared to share your latest ideas, challenges, hopes, experiences, and experiments!

It’s going to be a dynamic conference, so register now and secure your spot to spend time with Kelly, Keith, Anakha, the various session facilitators, and your fellow attendees. Check out the longer speaker bios and download the full list of session facilitators here.

What’s your legacy as a learning professional? Follow us on Twitter@ATDps and share your #legacy

Are you interested in joining a small group around specific talent development topics and or interests? We have just what you're looking for inone of our six ATDps Interest Groups. Topics range from CPLP certification, member networking, learning and technology, South Sound professionals, or learning in the purpose economy; be sure to review what's on offer this month!

For August, we offer you the following opportunity with the Networking Interest Group in Bellevue:Wednesday, August 24 at 5:00 PM Networking Interest Group

Membership Inspiration for the Month

Dear wonderful ATDps Community,

Here we are in August. School is right around the corner. We are now well into the 2nd half of the year. I hope 2016 has been fantastic for you so far! Something I have learned throughout my career and life is how amazingly powerful the right questions can be. I would venture a well timed good question can have the power to change the world...

As fall looms before us, my challenge to you is this: Has the year been turning out like you had expected? What assumptions are you currently making that could use a good question mark behind them?

"In all affairs, it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted."

Bertrand Russell

Member Spotlight for August: Kristen Barton

Kristen Barton is a Training & Development Specialist in Practice and Leadership Development for Group Health Physicians in Seattle. She joined ATDps in the winter of 2015.

Q: Where are you from, and what brought you to the Puget Sound area? A: I came to the Puget Sound area by way of Alaska and Colorado after growing up in Salt Lake City, UT. Previously I was a behavioral health clinician before I transitioned into the Training and Development field. When I decided to make the transition, I was still living in Alaska where the opportunities for employment and connecting with colleagues in the field were limited. One of the reasons I relocated to the Puget Sound area was because of the wide variety of opportunities to meet people doing innovative work in training and development. I also moved here because I love living in the West and the outdoor activities that the Puget Sound region has to offer.

Q: What do you love most about the Talent Development industry? A: I love the philosophy of ongoing growth and learning. What I love most about my job is introducing people to skills and tools that make their jobs easier and their work lives more enjoyable.

Q: Why did you join ATD Puget Sound and in what ways are you involved? A: I joined ATD to meet others in the field, to network and to take advantage of the workshop and training opportunities.

Q: Any fun or interesting facts you would be willing to share? A: My very first experience in training and development was teaching a class to divorcing parents about how to effectively co-parent. After teaching my first class, I was hooked!

Q: What is a career or development goal you are personally working on? A: I am learning how to use drawing and graphic recording during my facilitation and training and I'd like to increase my skills in group coaching.

Calling All Survey Superstars: We Need You!

Are you survey-savvy? Any chance you would like to get involved in a short-term volunteer opportunity to help the chapter?

If so, please contact me ASAP! We are in the process of developing our 2016 ATDps Annual Survey and I would love to have your help. Feel free to reach out via my email. Thank you!

Our August Newsletter Sponsor: Haply - A Learning and Development support company

We understand the challenges that training and development departments and employee face in the modern workplace.We are here to help you reach your performance improvement goals,Haply focuses on Learning Management Systems, Training/Workshop materials, and Assessment Tools.

Power Membership offers members twice the support, twice the resources, and twice the networking than just one membership.

ATD membership provides the tools you need for success. Chapter membership applies those tools to your organization and community. Together you are a Power Member!